Taxonomic revision of the huntsman spider genus Eusparassus Simon, 1903 (Araneae: Sparassidae) in Eurasia
Author
Moradmand, Majid
Author
Jäger, Peter
text
Journal of Natural History
2012
2012-10-31
46
39 - 40
2439
2496
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2012.707249
journal article
55831
10.1080/00222933.2012.707249
6e4a60c9-c2d5-4ed2-b640-6253aa251f7f
1464-5262
5202071
Eusparassus pontii
Caporiacco, 1935
(
Figure 18
)
Eusparassus pontii
Caporiacco, 1935: 216
, pl. 6, fig. 4 (description of female;
syntypes
,
two females
, examined).
Type material
Syntypes
:
1 female
,
PAKISTAN
:
Karakoram
,
Pajue oasis
,
3500 m
,
28 July 1929
(
MNM
)
;
1 female
,
Tsock
meadow,
3940 m
,
11 May 1929
(
MNM
)
;
1 juvenile
,
Tolti oasis
,
2400 m
,
20 April 1929
(
MNM
)
.
Additional material examined
1 ♀
,
2 immatures
,
INDIA
: Kashmir
:
1 ♀
,
1 juvenile
, Ladakh, Shey, Trockerhay,
3400 m
,
2 June 1976
,
J. Martens
leg. (
SMF
)
;
1 subadult
female,
Ladakh, J
. Martens leg. (
SMF
)
.
Diagnosis
Epigyne resembles that of
E. kronebergi
stat. nov.
in having EFB fused to AMLL bordering MS (
Figure 18C
) but differs from it by presence of a strong continuous ridge at lateral side of vulva and one large glandular process (
Figure 18D,E
), in contrast vulva of
E. kronebergi
stat. nov.
has two small and separated glandular parts; It can also be distinguished by the eye interdistances: AME–ALE spaced one-half of AME– AME (as in
E. fuscimanus
) but differs from this species in having EF longer than wide (
Figure 18C
).
Redescription
Female
(
n
= 3). Total length: 14.9–18.9, prosoma length 6.4–9.1, prosoma width 5.7–7.8, anterior width of prosoma 3.2–4.7, opisthosoma length 8.5–9.8, opisthosoma width 6.5–7.4. eyes are the same size, eye diameters: AME 0.39, ALE 0.41, PME 0.40, PLE 0.40; eye interdistances: AME–AME 0.28, AME–ALE 0.15, PME–PME 0.43, PME–PLE 0.62, AME–PME 0.53, ALE–PLE 0.35, clypeus height at AME 0.32, clypeus height at ALE 0.46.
Figure 18.
Eusparassus pontii
Caporiacco, 1935
, (A–D) syntype female from Karakoram, Pakistan: (A) eye arrangement; (B) left chelicera, ventral; (C) epigyne, ventral; (D) left vulva, anterio-dorso-lateral; (E) variation of left vulva, anterio-dorso-lateral. Scale bars: (A–C) 1 mm, (D, E) 0.5 mm.
Chelicerae with two anterior and four to six posterior teeth; cheliceral furrow without denticles (
Figure 18B
). Leg formula: 21=43. Measurements of palp and legs: Palp 10.6 [3.3, 1.6, 1.9, 3.8], I 34.7 [9.6, 4.3, 8.7, 9.5, 2.6], II 37.7 [10.7, 4.5, 10.1, 9.6, 2.8], III 31.1 [9.5, 3.8, 8.2, 7.3, 2.3], IV 34.6 [10.3, 3.9, 8.8, 9.1, 2.5].
Spination.
Palp 131, 001, 1111, 1013; Legs: Femur I–III 323, IV 321
/
322; Patella I–IV 000; Tibia
I–IV 2024
; Metatarsus
I–III 2024
, IV 3034
/
3036.
Epigyne
/
vulva.
As in diagnosis with two large black triangular LL, AMLL not fused but bordered by EFB (
Figure 18C
); vulva with a bulge at the area of glandular processes and marked by a continuous ridge (
Figure 18D,E
).
Male.
Unknown.
Colouration
[in ethanol]. Reddish brown, dark brown chelicera, dorsal opisthosoma with a patch and series of small chevron-like patterns and additional dots, ventral opisthosoma with pale markings.
Remarks
The type specimens were collected during “the Italian Mission to Karakoram (
1929- VII
)”. One of the
type
localities is Pajue, a campsite on the K2 Mountain. The species is recorded from high elevations (∼
4000 m
), the highest altitude recorded for
Sparassidae
so far. This is the first record of the species after its original description out of the
type
locality, namely from Indian Himalaya, in Ladakh.
Known geographical distribution and habitat
High altitudes in mountainous Himalaya in
Pakistan
: Karakoram, K2 Mountain, and
India
: Ladakh (New record).